The Strength Running Podcast

Ritz has more career highlights than there are spectators at the Boston Marathon (ok maybe not but still!):

• 3x Olympian at the 10,000m and marathon distances
• Former US Record holder in the 5,000m (12:56.27)
• 3rd fastest American marathon time in history (2:07:47)
• Three-time USA Cross Country Champion
• Two-time Foot Locker National high-school Cross Country Champion
• Half-marathon PR of 60:00 (2nd best HM time in US history)

A Generation UCAN-sponsored athlete, he is now preparing to run the River Bank Run 25k this May.

I kicked off the episode with an embarrassing story - one I debated sharing but I thought it was funny. Enjoy!

On more serious topics, we chat about:

• His injury prevention approach that's helped him rebound after so injuries (stress fractures, hernias, Achilles problems, and more)
• His favorite confidence-building workout
• His go-to meal after a marathon
• Eating pop-tarts the night before racing a marathon
• How his training has changed since turning pro

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dathan Ritzenhein!

Ritz has more career highlights than there are spectators at the Boston Marathon (ok maybe not but still!):

• 3x Olympian at the 10,000m and marathon distances
• Former US Record holder in the 5,000m (12:56.27)
• 3rd fastest American marathon time in history (2:07:47)
• Three-time USA Cross Country Champion
• Two-time Foot Locker National high-school Cross Country Champion
• Half-marathon PR of 60:00 (2nd best HM time in US history)

A Generation UCAN-sponsored athlete, he is now preparing to run the River Bank Run 25k this May.

I kicked off the episode with an embarrassing story - one I debated sharing but I thought it was funny. Enjoy!

On more serious topics, we chat about:

• His injury prevention approach that's helped him rebound after so injuries (stress fractures, hernias, Achilles problems, and more)
• His favorite confidence-building workout
• His go-to meal after a marathon
• Eating pop-tarts the night before racing a marathon
• How his training has changed since turning pro

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dathan Ritzenhein!

James doesn't look like the "typical" runner - he's 6'6" and 250 pounds. A former professional rugby player, James has a degree in Sport Rehabilitation and is fully insured member of the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT).

He's the founder of Kinetic-Revolution and has an ongoing fascination with the functional biomechanics of running (in other words, how you move while running).

In this far-reaching discussion, we talk about quite a few issues:

• Should overweight runners be more worried about injury?
• Is gaining weight more important for injury risk than being consistently overweight?
• Does training for weight loss differ than training for a race? How?

Enjoy my conversation with James (and don't miss the announcement at the end of the show!).

James doesn't look like the "typical" runner - he's 6'6" and 250 pounds. A former professional rugby player, James has a degree in Sport Rehabilitation and is fully insured member of the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT).

He's the founder of Kinetic-Revolution and has an ongoing fascination with the functional biomechanics of running (in other words, how you move while running).

In this far-reaching discussion, we talk about quite a few issues:

• Should overweight runners be more worried about injury?
• Is gaining weight more important for injury risk than being consistently overweight?
• Does training for weight loss differ than training for a race? How?

Enjoy my conversation with James (and don't miss the announcement at the end of the show!).

In this short episode, Jason shares a letter from a runner named Colleen. She experienced self-doubt and was afraid of failure before a race. But with a positive mindset and a few inspiring lessons, Colleen successfully finished her race.

In this letter, Colleen shares her journey. And I hope you find it motivating as you push through with your training.

In this short episode, Jason shares a letter from a runner named Colleen. She experienced self-doubt and was afraid of failure before a race. But with a positive mindset and a few inspiring lessons, Colleen successfully finished her race.

In this letter, Colleen shares her journey. And I hope you find it motivating as you push through with your training.

Long runs, weekly mileage, and faster workouts are all important - but they won't help you improve if you don't prioritize a healthy lifestyle.

Without proper nutrition, you won't have as much energy to tackle your training.

Without enough sleep, recovery will be sub-par and some of your hard work will be wasted.

Without reducing stress, the risk of over-training and injury increases (and you'll rarely feel good).

So it makes sense to give yourself every advantage and set yourself up for success, especially if you're gearing up for a big race or attempt at a personal best.

When you get these "little things" (which are not so little) right, it makes training much easier to accomplish.

After all, success in running depends on the lifestyle that surrounds the training.

So I invited No Meat Athlete founder Matt Frazier on the podcast. In just the last few years, Matt has implemented a staggering number of changes to his life:

• He adopted a vegetarian diet - and then vegan
• No Meat Athlete was born and quickly became a world-wide movement
• He improved his marathon from 4:53 to 3:09 to qualify for Boston
• Not wanting to settle, he started running ultras - including a 100-miler
• He's given up oil and experimented with other habits like journaling, meditation, and fruitarianism

If you've ever tried to start a new healthy habit, you know how difficult this can be on top of your other obligations like work and family.

And I wanted to know how to make all of these "little things" easier to implement in your life.

Because if you're not sleeping well, eating right, and eliminating stress the other 23 hours of the day, then running a longer distance or racing a Personal Best is going to be that much more difficult to achieve.

Long runs, weekly mileage, and faster workouts are all important - but they won't help you improve if you don't prioritize a healthy lifestyle.

Without proper nutrition, you won't have as much energy to tackle your training.

Without enough sleep, recovery will be sub-par and some of your hard work will be wasted.

Without reducing stress, the risk of over-training and injury increases (and you'll rarely feel good).

So it makes sense to give yourself every advantage and set yourself up for success, especially if you're gearing up for a big race or attempt at a personal best.

When you get these "little things" (which are not so little) right, it makes training much easier to accomplish.

After all, success in running depends on the lifestyle that surrounds the training.

So I invited No Meat Athlete founder Matt Frazier on the podcast. In just the last few years, Matt has implemented  a staggering number of changes to his life:

• He adopted a vegetarian diet - and then vegan
• No Meat Athlete was born and quickly became a world-wide movement
• He improved his marathon from 4:53 to 3:09 to qualify for Boston
• Not wanting to settle, he started running ultras - including a 100-miler
• He's given up oil and experimented with other habits like journaling, meditation, and fruitarianism

If you've ever tried to start a new healthy habit, you know how difficult this can be on top of your other obligations like work and family.

And I wanted to know how to make all of these "little things" easier to implement in your life.

Because if you're not sleeping well, eating right, and eliminating stress the other 23 hours of the day, then running a longer distance or racing a Personal Best is going to be that much more difficult to achieve.

Dr. Mike Young is the Director of Research and Performance at North Carolina-based Athletic Lab. A Lead Instructor for both USA Track & Field and USA Weightlifting, he also works with elite athletes and has consulted with the MLS, MLB, NFL, PGA, and NHL.

He has degrees in exercise physiology, coaching science, and biomechanics – not to mention his prowess publishing multiple peer-reviewed journal articles.

Mike has coached seven national champions in Track & Field and at four Division I NCAA programs.

He's on the Strength Running Podcast today to talk about how distance runners can benefit from speed development – from specific workouts to other ways of getting faster (it's not all sprint work).

Dr. Mike Young is the Director of Research and Performance at North Carolina-based Athletic Lab. A Lead Instructor for both USA Track & Field and USA Weightlifting, he also works with elite athletes and has consulted with the MLS, MLB, NFL, PGA, and NHL.

He has degrees in exercise physiology, coaching science, and biomechanics – not to mention his prowess publishing multiple peer-reviewed journal articles.

Mike has coached seven national champions in Track & Field and at four Division I NCAA programs.

He’s on the Strength Running Podcast today to talk about how distance runners can benefit from speed development – from specific workouts to other ways of getting faster (it’s not all sprint work).